My thoughts today are—as I know many of yours are—with the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy, their families, and friends. My family and I live outside of Boston, and we consider the city almost as much our home as we do the suburb where our house stands. In college, I proudly joined the Wellesley College “Scream Tunnel” to cheer on the runners. Two days ago, my spouse and I spent the afternoon walking around the city, noting the crowd-control barricades already in place for the race in Copley Square.
I will have more words in the days to come, I am sure, but I am finding them hard to put together now. For the moment, though, I will point you to two sources for helping children deal with tragedy:
- “Helping Children Deal with Traumatic Events,” from Open Circle, the elementary school social emotional learning (SEL) program at the Wellesley Centers for Women. The article was first posted in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. (I work at the Wellesley Centers for Women, though not in the Open Circle program. I post here as an individual, and not on behalf of the organization.)
- “Helping Children Cope with Tragedy Related Anxiety,” from Mental Health America.
The hardest thing in the aftermath of an event like this can be to have hope. But sometimes it is all we have.